My parents didn’t want me going to rock concerts in high school, so upon turning 18 (almost concurrent to graduation) I was ready to make up for last time.
For a ten year period, concerts were such an important part of my life. I saw so many of my favorite bands. I spent a good chunk of my limited income. Even looking back, I think of this as one of my biggest life accomplishments. I have not tallied it up but I am sure I saw 100 bands or more. Most of these were at smaller venues.
The next 15 years are a bit of “wilderness” years. I would say concerts were not a priority. Still, I have a fondness for some of the artists I saw. I saw a few more festivals so my numbers might be similar. Also I feel like I saw more of a mix of unusual and unique artists. So what I lacked in Quantity, I made up for in Quality
The last five years or so (pandemic excepted) feels like a “third wave” of concert going. Kids are growing and I have people that I can go to shows with again.
Now, I haven’t found a good cadence because I do lack the freedom of the younger me to go see any show. I am more selective and yet, I am trying to find a way to get myself out of that comfort level.
I am not sure what that looks like yet but I am trying
But Jeffrey Lewis definitely fits the bill. Here’s an artist I know a bit about, heard a couple of songs, seems interesting but isn’t a “must see” for me or a longtime favorite artist. The former are the kind of shows I probably need in my concert diet.
What I know about Lewis is his reputation. He’s extremely prolific. His style is called anti-folk which kind of sounds like it says- but had a bit of a heyday in the early 00s with Lewis a key figure alongside Moldy Peaches, Regina Spektor and the Mountain Goats
That was my image going in and I also know he is revered by the DIY and outsider crowd. While I hate the gatekeeping of some of those fans, I would say that is accurate but it’s not like he is a one man band like Bob Log III or Scott H Biram
His setup tonight was pretty traditional- though certainly charming. Brent Cole (Moldy Peaches) on drums, Mallory Feurer on violin and keyboard (who also fronts The Grasping Straws) and Mem Pahl ( Catt Tatt) on bass. A perfect backing band.
Listening to him live, I shifted my focus from 21st Century marketing to the actual music. My first thought was humorous Michigan area 90s folkie Wally Pleasant. There certainly is a lineage to bands like the Dead Milkmen, They Might Be Giants and Camper Van Beethoven and more than anything, the bands that occupied the Shimmy Disc record label roster, not to mention indie nerd mavericks like Casiotone for the Painfully Alone and Atom and his Package.
Weirdly, the opening song made me think of roots rocker Todd Snider. Not that the two styles are comparable but Snider has found a secondary audience for his more humorous work- even getting played regularly on Morning Zoo radio like the Bob and Tom Show. The song about his girlfriend falling asleep when they watch movies together was absolutely wholesome.
A look at his set lists indicate that each show is quite different. Not that he has any “hits” but his setlist seemed devoid of the songs he is most known for with the one exception of taking an audience request for “The Last Time I Took Acid”. Though his setlists do have some commonality and I don’t think you are necessarily get a “here’s my new album” set either
Lewis is also known for drawing comics. Which brings to mind R Crumb indies but also Daniel Johnston’s drawings.
Lewis performed three of his songs accompanied by a slideshow of his comics -Champion Jim and Creeping Brain certainly fell into the category of Daniel Johnston or perhaps Jad Fair’s monster songs but the third was the History of Communism: Part 5- Vietnam which is apparently part of his concert series
I really enjoyed the concert if you can’t tell and it probably should go closer to the top on the all time list than others.
My last question coming in is how “authentic” Lewis is. It’s a ridiculous question of course. But I don’t feel attachment to anybody who just gets up and spits out nonsense. Lewis is definitely active on social media which made it harder to assess
But seeing Lewis and briefly meeting him at the merch table afterwards, he is the real deal
That’s not surprising- as he seems to be a huge music fan- even recording entire albums to cover counterculture icons like anarcho punks Crass, the Fall and avant garde pioneer Tuli Kupferberg. Lewis’s work is filled with cameos from Kupferberg, Kimya Dawson, Peter Stampfel, Diane Cluck, Kramer and Producer Roger Moutenot (most of Yo La Tengo’s classic 90s/00s albums). (He took the stage to the sounds of Jim Sullivan’s “UFO”)
I am not sure if Lewis is a depressive but he has the true brain of a comedian and when his music wasn’t funny (or educational) he had plenty of positive and encouraging (but not cheesy) messages in his songs.
His most recent album is 2019s Bad Wiring but he has released a collection of A-Sides and B-Sides (2014-2018)
It was one of the best shows I have seen in recent years. Support was local and great (to the point) I might just write about them individually- Book of Bees and HD Harmsen
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